2026 Position Analysis: Catcher and DH

[stringer bell]

The last two positions to cover in my series are Designated Hitter and Catcher. There is overlap, since Ryan Jeffers was the second-most used DH and most-used catcher in 2025. He figures to have about the same workload or perhaps more in 2026. My summary after looking at catchers and the DH position will look at my early guess/prediction for the 13 position players on Opening Day.

Catcher--Ryan Jeffers is the returning primary catcher. With Christian Vázquez soon to be a free agent, there is no one else in the organization who has caught more than a handful of games in the major leagues. Jeffers has now played in over 500 games and has more than 1800 plate appearances. He is in the middle of his career and his profile is pretty much filled out. After and outstanding year in 2023, Jeffers has been a slightly better than average hitter the past two years. That plays quite well for a catcher. Defensively, Jeffers is below average pretty much across the board, but he has worked well with pitchers and not been an embarrassment. Jeffers missed a couple weeks on the Concussion IL, but otherwise has stayed healthy for the last three years. Who will back up Jeffers? Within the organization, the Twins have Mickey Gasper, a utility guy who can catch and Jhonny Pereda, who filled in when both Vázquez and Jeffers were injured. Pereda hit and threw quite well and aquitted himself well behind the plate, but he'll be 30 for the majority of the 2026 season and up until now, he's only managed a "cup of coffee" in the majors. Gasper has been a fine hitter in AAA, but hasn't been able to carry solid hitting to the highest level. He hit .158 with an OPS under .500 in just over 100 plate appearances. If the Twins decide to fill the backup catcher position from within the organization, Pereda looks like the obvious choice. The Twins acquired two catchers in trade when they sold off at the deadline, but both look like they are quite a way from the majors. It would make sense to pick up an experienced defense-first guy to back up Jeffers and also provide more depth in the minor leagues.

Designated Hitter--The most frequent DH was Trevor Larnach, who  in more than 500 plate appearances, put up league average numbers. Larnach also played some in the outfield and was satisfactory, although grading out below average. I have speculated that Larnach won't be a Twin in 2026 and I'll stick with that. Ryan Jeffers had the second-most at bats as a DH and was okay. It makes sense to use Jeffers as a DH, particularly against left handed pitching. In 2026, Matt Wallner could be the primary DH in 2026 with several speedier options close to ready to patrol the outfield.

It remains to be seen how the new manager will handle both the catcher and DH positions. Given the in-house experience behind him, Jeffers may be called on to catch in excess of 100 games and perhaps there will be a primary DH. 

My early guesses for the 13 position players are as follows: Catcher--Ryan Jeffers 1B--Unknown free agent veteran, 2B--Luke Keaschall, SS--Brooks Lee, 3B--Royce Lewis Lf--Austin Martin CF--Byron Buxton RF--Alan Roden. DH--Matt Wallner Bench--Kody Clemens, (maybe) Jhonny Pereda, Ryan Fitzgerald another experienced free agent on a make good deal. I hope it comes together well, but with no bullpen and questions all over, this looks like rebuilding and not retooling.

[Cory Engelhardt]

9 hours ago, stringer bell said:

The last two positions to cover in my series are Designated Hitter and Catcher. There is overlap, since Ryan Jeffers was the second-most used DH and most-used catcher in 2025. He figures to have about the same workload or perhaps more in 2026. My summary after looking at catchers and the DH position will look at my early guess/prediction for the 13 position players on Opening Day.

Catcher--Ryan Jeffers is the returning primary catcher. With Christian Vázquez soon to be a free agent, there is no one else in the organization who has caught more than a handful of games in the major leagues. Jeffers has now played in over 500 games and has more than 1800 plate appearances. He is in the middle of his career and his profile is pretty much filled out. After and outstanding year in 2023, Jeffers has been a slightly better than average hitter the past two years. That plays quite well for a catcher. Defensively, Jeffers is below average pretty much across the board, but he has worked well with pitchers and not been an embarrassment. Jeffers missed a couple weeks on the Concussion IL, but otherwise has stayed healthy for the last three years. Who will back up Jeffers? Within the organization, the Twins have Mickey Gasper, a utility guy who can catch and Jhonny Pereda, who filled in when both Vázquez and Jeffers were injured. Pereda hit and threw quite well and aquitted himself well behind the plate, but he'll be 30 for the majority of the 2026 season and up until now, he's only managed a "cup of coffee" in the majors. Gasper has been a fine hitter in AAA, but hasn't been able to carry solid hitting to the highest level. He hit .158 with an OPS under .500 in just over 100 plate appearances. If the Twins decide to fill the backup catcher position from within the organization, Pereda looks like the obvious choice. The Twins acquired two catchers in trade when they sold off at the deadline, but both look like they are quite a way from the majors. It would make sense to pick up an experienced defense-first guy to back up Jeffers and also provide more depth in the minor leagues.

Designated Hitter--The most frequent DH was Trevor Larnach, who  in more than 500 plate appearances, put up league average numbers. Larnach also played some in the outfield and was satisfactory, although grading out below average. I have speculated that Larnach won't be a Twin in 2026 and I'll stick with that. Ryan Jeffers had the second-most at bats as a DH and was okay. It makes sense to use Jeffers as a DH, particularly against left handed pitching. In 2026, Matt Wallner could be the primary DH in 2026 with several speedier options close to ready to patrol the outfield.

It remains to be seen how the new manager will handle both the catcher and DH positions. Given the in-house experience behind him, Jeffers may be called on to catch in excess of 100 games and perhaps there will be a primary DH. 

My early guesses for the 13 position players are as follows: Catcher--Ryan Jeffers 1B--Unknown free agent veteran, 2B--Luke Keaschall, SS--Brooks Lee, 3B--Royce Lewis Lf--Austin Martin CF--Byron Buxton RF--Alan Roden. DH--Matt Wallner Bench--Kody Clemens, (maybe) Jhonny Pereda, Ryan Fitzgerald another experienced free agent on a make good deal. I hope it comes together well, but with no bullpen and questions all over, this looks like rebuilding and not retooling.

I appreciate you laying it out this way. It also points to where they can focus on real/actual improvement.

1) Catcher; I think the focus can be on a strong defender. This could be via free agency, or via trade. It's possible that they have a younger catcher they are eyeing from another organization, so maybe they trade for someone that would be a good pair with Jeffers. Ideally (my opinion) if they can find a starting level catcher who can hit right handed pitching enough to get by, then we don't NEED to have Jeffers catch 100+ games. I say that too because Jeffers isn't an ideal defensive option behind the plate, but he still is good enough to catch when a lefty starts or dh occasionally, especially against lefties. I'm not at all certain that Jeffers will be extended and on the team in 2027, but having him on the team for 2026 is fine by me.

2) 1B is an option to really focus and help the infield defense AND the lineup. I do think (unless they have to cut payroll more) that there is real opportunity here to add a real 1B option instead of a Ty France option. Someone like Ryan O'Hearn would be really good here with the defense and power he provides, and wouldn't break the bank theorhetically with needing a LONG term deal. I'd love Josh Naylor, but I have to think he's getting 3 or even 4 years, and I don't know that they would give that out now. We'll see.

3) Having this lineup, as you listed, is fine and will allow Jenkins and Rodriguez and Culpepper et al to have space to earn their promotions at some point. That's exciting too.

 

Thanks!

[Vanimal46]

Unpopular opinion, but I would look to bring back Vazquez on a 1 year $2-3 million contract. I'm fully aware he can't hit better than his current weight anymore. He still calls a good game behind the plate, and a valuable resource for the upcoming youth movement on the pitching staff. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

11 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Unpopular opinion, but I would look to bring back Vazquez on a 1 year $2-3 million contract. I'm fully aware he can't hit better than his current weight anymore. He still calls a good game behind the plate, and a valuable resource for the upcoming youth movement on the pitching staff. 

I'd be ok with it, but I would hope they turn over all the rocks that are possible prior to going this route. For example, let's say some team really likes Bailey Ober, and we like a catcher they have who has either some mlb experience or at least some upper minors experience. This is purely a hypothetical, but I'd want to look at that TYPE of move first before going back to Vazquez.

I also hope, generally, that Vazquez's infection that occured this year makes it so he is ready to be fully healthy in 2026. 

[Vanimal46]

19 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I'd be ok with it, but I would hope they turn over all the rocks that are possible prior to going this route. For example, let's say some team really likes Bailey Ober, and we like a catcher they have who has either some mlb experience or at least some upper minors experience. This is purely a hypothetical, but I'd want to look at that TYPE of move first before going back to Vazquez.

I also hope, generally, that Vazquez's infection that occured this year makes it so he is ready to be fully healthy in 2026. 

No doubt. If he has the chance to go back to Boston to chase a ring I wish him well. But if it's March and he's still on the free agent market, I would offer him that contract. 

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

Unpopular opinion, but I would look to bring back Vazquez on a 1 year $2-3 million contract. I'm fully aware he can't hit better than his current weight anymore. He still calls a good game behind the plate, and a valuable resource for the upcoming youth movement on the pitching staff. 

Cheap vet catcher is definitely the route they will (should) go, but I'll guess it's James McCann, Austin Barnes or Jacob Stallings. Mostly because I'm sure Derek Falvey will be keenly aware that signing Vazquez for 2M will only remind fans of how dumb it was for him to pay him 30M last time.

[Vanimal46]

14 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Cheap vet catcher is definitely the route they will (should) go, but I'll guess it's James McCann, Austin Barnes or Jacob Stallings. Mostly because I'm sure Derek Falvey will be keenly aware that signing Vazquez for 2M will only remind fans of how dumb it was for him to pay him 30M last time.

There will be options and I doubt Falvey will be in much of a hurry to bring one in. Feels like something him and Zoll will get around to in late Feb/early March. 

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

There will be options and I doubt Falvey will be in much of a hurry to bring one in. Feels like something him and Zoll will get around to in late Feb/early March. 

Which I'd be in favor of. Backup glove-only catchers tend to be available all year round.

[jorgenswest]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

Which I'd be in favor of. Backup glove-only catchers tend to be available all year round.

I have wondered about this. I wonder if catching is so difficult that the catchers that tend to be available are ones with a passable glove and little ability to hit. I wonder if the ones that have good gloves, call a good game and work with pitchers well all have jobs and aren’t easily acquired during the season.

[nicksaviking]

3 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

I have wondered about this. I wonder if catching is so difficult that the catchers that tend to be available are ones with a passable glove and little ability to hit. I wonder if the ones that have good gloves, call a good game and work with pitchers well all have jobs and aren’t easily acquired during the season.

With how often they swap organizations, I'd guess teams find their impact negligible. If a 2M backup catcher actually is making a major difference, I'd have to think they'd be getting long term deals and for much more money.

[jorgenswest]

3 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

With how often they swap organizations, I'd guess teams find their impact negligible. If a 2M backup catcher actually is making a major difference, I'd have to think they'd be getting long term deals and for much more money.

I just wonder if those 2 million dollar back ups need to have close to an average glove to get those dollars. Playing a passable major league catcher is high bar. I am not sure that Pereda meets it and it seems clear that Gasper does not. Is passable glove and no bat enough for a back up?

[tony&rodney]

5 hours ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

let's say some team really likes Bailey Ober, and we like a catcher they have who has either some mlb experience or at least some upper minors experience.

That's the dream. I'm still hoping for Jeferson Quero (MIL) and/or Harry Ford (SEA). Heck get both of them and have Vazquez serve as their mentor. Ford can be used on the odd occasion in the outfield.

[Cory Engelhardt]

27 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

That's the dream. I'm still hoping for Jeferson Quero (MIL) and/or Harry Ford (SEA). Heck get both of them and have Vazquez serve as their mentor. Ford can be used on the odd occasion in the outfield.

I was thinking going to st Louis. They have a decent number of catchers either that have debuted or in the upper minors that might be interesting. But yeah, a younger guy would be great in this role in my opinion

[tony&rodney]

51 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I was thinking going to st Louis. They have a decent number of catchers either that have debuted or in the upper minors that might be interesting. But yeah, a younger guy would be great in this role in my opinion

Jimmy Crooks is close, a good glove, but plenty of swing and miss. Main question is which teams will talk and what do they accept for a guy we want. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Jimmy Crooks is close, a good glove, but plenty of swing and miss. Main question is which teams will talk and what do they accept for a guy we want. 

And I’d prefer him over an old retread as an example, at least generally 

[DocBauer]

IMO, the lack of FA catchers only goes to show how valuable Jeffers is.

Over the past couple of seasons there had been so much tired debate about is Jeffers good or not good, or is Vazquez superior, etc, that I've just grown tired of the debate. I am one that appreciates different metrics, but had disagreements regarding defensive numbers as different analytics can say totally different things depending on who you subscribe to believe. I think Catcher is the HARDEST position to quantify.

If I told you Jeffers had a team ERA better than Vazquez over the last 3 seasons...truth...would that mean he's the better defensive player? Or would say ERA is dismissive and post another stat? My point is IDK when it comes to the catcher position. It's almost like being an NFL Center: How do you grade in pass pro? How do you grade in run blocking? But ALSO, how do you grade in accurate snaps and calling out blocking assignments? 

Jeffers is not a tremendous defensive catcher. He's fine, but not great. He's been about AVG in regard to CS%. But he's super smart, and from all accounts, he's a good game caller. And THAT'S what I care about!

Despite some ups and downs, he's ranked as a top 4-5 OPS producer over the last 5yrs. THAT'S overall value in a ML backstop.

When asked if he could handle a 60-65% opportunity to physically stand up, he stated: "I don't know. I haven't been given the chance to do that". I'm only slightly paraphrasing. But he's built like a tank. With a little time off here and there, occasionally as a DH against LHP I have little doubt he could stand up. 

Just because he's not Perez or Mauer in his prime, what else should be expected of him as a primary backstop? 

But I digress.

I'd absolutely sign him for a 2yr extension tomorrow for around $8-9M. So would half the teams in MLB if they had a chance. That puts him in line to be replaced by Diaw, Tait, and maybe even Jimenez. 

For 2026, I can honestly see Vazquez back as a cheap, experienced,  respected, veteran option for $2-3M. But I'd be looking elsewhere for a similar option with the POTENTIAL to be better than a sub .600 hitter. 

Is Jansen, with a solid performance late in the year an option? Can Elias Diaz rebound to his 2024 version of himself? McCann also finished strong in limited opportunities in 2025. Or is there someone else who might be ready for one more year in the sun on a comeback season the FO and scouting department likes?

Pereda is an interesting option as a #3 option, but I wouldn't give him a 40 man spot.

I'm a fan of Noah Cardenas as a non roster #3 option. From most every scouting report I've ever read he's a solid game caller and defender. He's got a good arm. He's not much of a HITTER, but he's always been a solid OB% guy, meaning he can control the zone a bit as has at least an idea what he's doing at the plate.

But since this OP is ALSO about the DH position, I have to state that it reflects back to the OP concerning the OF. Which is where I would have placed DH initially. 

Larnach figures to be the primary DH if kept. As most of us, including @stringer bellhave agreed, we don't see Larnach back for a variety of reasons from cost to prospect depth.

in an ideal world...and let's face it, the Twins are due for some good luck...Em Rodriguez has a good winter season, and a strong ST and the FO suddenly has the balls to follow other franchises who have the same, and start him from DAY ONE.

Wallner suddenly becomes the primary DH and a part time OF.

Why Rodriguez and not Jenkins? Switch them around if you want to. But Rodriguez is a bit older, a bit more experienced, and has already burned 2 options. Jenkins doesn't even have to be added to the 40 man yet. 

This is OPTIMAL, and SHOULD BE DONE ASAP if he looks close to ready. FOLLOW the Brewers path like they did with Chourio. If not now, then when? 

Of course it means Rodriguez is healthy and ready to go. But even if there is a minor setback, when do you start to trust your top prospects?

1B, for NOW,  should be a viable FA, IMO. That doesn't mean Fedko and Roden shouldn't be included in a 1B spot and potential OF spot. That only increases the OF and DH depth. 

But on a wish list, Jenkins would look close to ML ready and spend a month or so to ramp up, and Rodriguez would be ready to play day one.

They sign whoever they think is best to backup Jeffers, and then Catcher and DH are taken care of.

 

 

8 hours ago, nicksaviking said: